In less than three weeks, the first Associated Press poll will come out.

In all likelihood, Northwestern won’t be in it. But according to Joel Klatt, the Cats should be.

The Fox Sports college football analyst explained why Northwestern deserves a top-25 spot:

“Pat Fitzgerald is a great coach,” Klatt said. “Last year, they were very inexperienced. One of the least experienced teams in the entire country. Now, they’ve got 16 starters back and their running back and quarterback back in the backfield in Clayton Thorson and Justin Jackson.”

That doesn’t sound too crazy when you think about it. The Wildcats were picked by the B1G media to finish second in the B1G West in the Cleveland.com poll, which was news to them.

Klatt said the best barometer game for the Wildcats will be at Wisconsin on Sept. 30. If Northwestern could pull off a victory in Madison and roll into October unbeaten, they’d be looking at even better spot than No. 25.

Klatt will roll out the rest of his top 25 as the season approaches. From the look of it, it won’t lack B1G teams.